Young boy dies after Napier accident

A 2-year-old boy has died after being hit by a vehicle in a
Napier carpark, in an incident police described as "100 per
cent a tragedy".

It comes a day after two young girls were seriously injured
in crashes in Whangarei and Ashburton.

Police said the boy got out of his family's car after it had
parked in the KFC carpark and ran behind it into the path of
another vehicle entering the carpark.

His parents took him to a nearby medical centre but he died
there about 30 minutes later.

Inspector Hirone Waretini said the incident could be
"classified 100 per cent as a tragedy."

Police were speaking to the male driver of the car that hit
the boy, as well as the boy's parents and various witnesses
who were in the carpark at the time.

St John Hawke's Bay district operations manager Stephen Smith
said they were called to the medical centre around 2.40pm,
and had an ambulance on site within three minutes.

Ambulance staff, paramedics and the medical centre staff
tried to resuscitate the child for about half an hour but he
died at the centre, Mr Smith said.

A relative told Hawke's Bay Today the boy's grandmother was
"distraught" as she contacted family with news of his death
last night.

SafeKids Aotearoa director Ann Weaver said cars had "blind
zones" where a small child was unable to be seen. She advised
parents to be vigilant and keep young children within arm's
length in carparks.

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old girl is in Auckland's Starship
Hospital after being hit by a vehicle after getting off a
school bus on State Highway 1 just south of Whangarei.

The Year 8 student suffered serious head and body injuries
and was taken to Whangarei Hospital about 4pm on Wednesday
before being airlifted to Starship Hospital. She was in a
stable condition last night.

The driver involved has been located by police and was being
questioned late yesterday.

A girl hit by a truck in central Ashburton on Wednesday was
in a serious but stable condition in Christchurch Hospital
last night.

The 11-year-old was hit by a truck and trailer while crossing
State Highway 1 about 4.45pm.

She was taken to Ashburton Hospital before being transferred
to Christchurch Hospital with injuries including a fractured
pelvis and femur, Ashburton police Sergeant Bryan Ennis said.